Executive summary: This exploratory post argues that bibliotherapy—using self-help books like Feeling Good to treat mental health conditions—is a cost-effective, evidence-supported, and underutilized intervention that could significantly improve well-being at scale, especially in low-resource settings.
Key points:
Robust evidence base: Meta-analyses and studies across populations show that bibliotherapy can be as effective as therapist-administered treatments for conditions like depression and anxiety, with lasting effects.
Extremely low cost: A back-of-the-envelope estimate suggests that sending a $15 book to every depressed adult in the U.S. would cost ~$315 million—comparable to the annual cost of suicide hotlines, but potentially far more impactful per dollar.
Potential for high impact on well-being: Assuming standard effect sizes, bibliotherapy could improve life satisfaction nearly as much as costly interventions like basic income—at a fraction of the cost, potentially making it 3,000x more cost-effective.
Scalable, even globally: Literacy rates are sufficiently high worldwide (e.g., 75% in India), making bibliotherapy a plausible intervention in many low-income countries where mental health services are scarce.
Design and ethical considerations: While mass unsolicited book distribution may be impractical, opt-in models could retain much of the benefit with fewer downsides like waste or misuse.
Conjectured comparative advantage: Though more empirical and philosophical work is needed, the author tentatively suggests bibliotherapy could rival or outperform other mental health interventions due to its unique combination of low cost and proven effectiveness.
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Executive summary: This exploratory post argues that bibliotherapy—using self-help books like Feeling Good to treat mental health conditions—is a cost-effective, evidence-supported, and underutilized intervention that could significantly improve well-being at scale, especially in low-resource settings.
Key points:
Robust evidence base: Meta-analyses and studies across populations show that bibliotherapy can be as effective as therapist-administered treatments for conditions like depression and anxiety, with lasting effects.
Extremely low cost: A back-of-the-envelope estimate suggests that sending a $15 book to every depressed adult in the U.S. would cost ~$315 million—comparable to the annual cost of suicide hotlines, but potentially far more impactful per dollar.
Potential for high impact on well-being: Assuming standard effect sizes, bibliotherapy could improve life satisfaction nearly as much as costly interventions like basic income—at a fraction of the cost, potentially making it 3,000x more cost-effective.
Scalable, even globally: Literacy rates are sufficiently high worldwide (e.g., 75% in India), making bibliotherapy a plausible intervention in many low-income countries where mental health services are scarce.
Design and ethical considerations: While mass unsolicited book distribution may be impractical, opt-in models could retain much of the benefit with fewer downsides like waste or misuse.
Conjectured comparative advantage: Though more empirical and philosophical work is needed, the author tentatively suggests bibliotherapy could rival or outperform other mental health interventions due to its unique combination of low cost and proven effectiveness.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.